Elk County, PA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.43, -78.65.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 13th pct · 2,647th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 13th pct · 58th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $233,681
- 99th pct · 15th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 100th pct · 1st of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median +3.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Pennsylvania counties: not published this period
- 60th pct · 1,259th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 24th pct · 51st of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
- 53rd pct · 1,504th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 33rd pct · 45th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,102
- 12th pct · 2,680th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 13th pct · 58th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 3.8
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $143,711 (Aug 2026), +15.9% over one year, +20.2% over five
- 13th pct · 2,647th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 13th pct · 58th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $233,681
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Elk County, PA | $143,711 · +15.9% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Pennsylvania counties: not published this period
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $787 a month on $143,711 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,563 a month: 17.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $143,711 × 80% = $114,969, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $787/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,053 × 52 / 12 = $4,563) = 17% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $143,711 / ($1,053 × 52) = 2.6
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
12,798 jobs at 931 employers (2026 Q1); -2.0% jobs and +2.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 60th pct · 1,259th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 24th pct · 51st of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Elk County, PA | 12,798 jobs · $1,053/wk · -2.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,236 | $1,287 | 5.09 | -4.1% |
| Retail trade | 1,235 | $640 | 0.99 | -2.4% |
| Construction | 472 | $1,186 | 0.70 | +0.2% |
| Other services | 452 | $448 | 1.18 | +0.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 426 | $1,182 | 0.79 | +1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 299 | $1,334 | 0.61 | +6.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 280 | $850 | 0.32 | -9.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 194 | $1,812 | 0.37 | -5.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 190 | $743 | 0.26 | +8.0% |
| Information | 83 | $744 | 0.35 | -6.7% |
| Management of companies | 83 | $2,092 | 0.39 | +2.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 59 | $1,231 | 0.30 | -3.3% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
10 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 10, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek Reservoir | 922.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 53 km |
| Curwensville Lake near Curwensville, PA | 1,162 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 54 km |
| Kettle Cr Lake at Kettle Cr Dam near Westport, PA | 842.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 61 km |
| Foster Joseph Sayers Lake near Blanchard, PA | 630.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 97 km |
| Raystown Lake near Huntingdon, PA | 786.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 123 km |
| Loyalhanna Creek Lake, PA | 3,652 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 127 km |
| Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park, PA | 1,190 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 133 km |
| Hammond Lake at Hammond Dam at Tioga, PA | 1,086 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 136 km |
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
47 gauges · 0 flooding · 13 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 8 stale
Sites found: 47, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Elk Creek at Ridgway, PA | stage 0.77 ft · STALE | 6 km |
| Clarion River at Johnsonburg, PA | flow 176.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 7 km |
| Clarion River at Ridgway, PA | flow 229.0 ft³/s | 7 km |
| EB Clarion River at EB Clarion River Dam, PA | flow 124.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (5) | 15 km |
| Weir 1 at East Branch Clarion River Dam, PA | stage 27.9 ft · STALE | 15 km |
| Weir 6 at East Branch Clarion River Dam, PA | stage -1.99 ft · STALE | 15 km |
| West Branch Clarion River at Wilcox, PA | flow 31.3 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 17 km |
| Sevenmile Run near Rasselas, PA | flow 2.54 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 24 km |
| East Branch Clarion River near Clermont, PA | temp 8.80 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 26 km |
| Waldy Run near Emporium, PA | flow 0.83 ft³/s | 34 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
25 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 25, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-412458078324601 | depth 4.23 ft · 2026-10-05 | 9 km |
| USGS-413348078515501 | depth 89.5 ft · 1977-01-20 | 23 km |
| USGS-411734078522101 | depth 29.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 24 km |
| USGS-413852078341401 | depth 26.7 ft · 1995-05-09 | 25 km |
| USGS-412823079030601 | depth 7.81 ft · 2026-10-05 | 33 km |
| USGS-410627078313601 | depth 22.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 37 km |
| USGS-410650078575801 | depth 27.9 ft · 1995-05-09 | 44 km |
| USGS-412020079133901 | depth 31.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 49 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$834.0 m in deposits at 12 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,240, highly concentrated. $233.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $221.3 m, grants $11.2 m), $18,209 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Bank | $377.2 m · 45.2% share · 4 offices | |
| First Commonwealth Bank | $210.0 m · 25.2% share · 2 offices | |
| CNB Bank | $193.5 m · 23.2% share · 3 offices | |
| Elk, PA | $233.0 m FY2026 · $18,209/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $218.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Bank | $377,233,000 | 45.2% | 4 |
| First Commonwealth Bank | $210,003,000 | 25.2% | 2 |
| CNB Bank | $193,466,000 | 23.2% | 3 |
| The Farmers National Bank of Canfield | $34,350,000 | 4.1% | 2 |
| Hamlin Bank and Trust Company | $18,962,000 | 2.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,240 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 45.2² + 25.2² + 23.2² + … (2 more) = 3,240
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $203,153,221 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $15,125,022 |
| Department of Transportation | $8,317,121 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $4,622,959 |
| Department of Agriculture | $595,902 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $460,239 |
| Department of Defense | $447,670 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $193,711 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $75,000 |
| Department of Education | $32,451 |
| Department of Justice | $28,916 |
| Department of the Treasury | -$7,404 |
That is $18,209 per covered job, against 12,798 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $233.0 m / 12,798 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,209
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Elk County, PA: 10 findings, 3 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchElk County, PA's covered employment is -2.0% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchElk County, PA's typical home value is +15.9% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value at least 15 percent above a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = 15.860406745863212 >= 15
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchElk County, PA's covered employment of 12,798 scores 61 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 24 across Pennsylvania counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |61 across US counties - 24 across Pennsylvania counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteElk County, PA's average weekly wage was 2.7% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +2.7 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteElk County, PA's covered employment was 2.0% lower than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- -2 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
Read all 10 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.